Sixth grader Kendra Levi-Paul is stepping up and speaking out on Feb. 13 in support of equal access for First Nations children in care

Eleven-year-old Kendra Levi-Paul is demanding that First Nation youth no longer be forgotten – and on Feb. 13 she’s taking her message to the Legislative Assembly.

The Alaqsite’w Gitpu School sixth grader is traveling to Fredericton from Listiguj First Nation, which is located on the New Brunswick/Quebec border near Campbellton, to speak at a rally as part of national Have a Heart Day activities. Have a Heart Day is a youth-led reconciliation event that brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians to raise awareness of the inequities in the education, health and child welfare services for First Nations children living on reserves.

“It’s a chance for the government to not just apologize but for them to know that we’re here,” says Levi-Paul. “Sometimes they treat us like we’re invisible.”

Oscar Baker is an award-winning multimedia reporter from Elsipogtog First Nation and St. Augustine, Fla. Baker is the winner of the David Adams Richards award for non-fiction writing for The Violent Ones. Follow him on Twitter @oggycane4lyfe

Call Mr. Robeson

The acclaimed play by Tayo Aluko, “Call Mr Robeson: A Life, with Songs,” is on tour this month in the Maritimes. The play will be at the Fredericton Playhouse on Feb. 20 and at the Saint John Imperial Theatre on Feb. 22. For more information, visit Tayo Aluko and Friends.